Residents of two Saskatoon cares homes will help determine if dementia can be treated with cannabis.

The clinical study is the result of a three-year memorandum of understanding signed between the University of Saskatchewan and Sundial Growers in Alberta.

The tests including placebos will be random with the aim of finding out if there are side effects from the drug and increased dosages.

The university’s associate dean of Pharmacy and Nutrition says even though cannabis helps ease a variety of ailments including pain, a specific and carefully planned trial is needed to see if dementia is another.

She said there are simply too many unanswered questions.

Jane Alcorn points out the focus is to see if cannabis eases the anxiety and agitation experienced by dementia sufferers with the hope of improving the quality of their lives and that of their care givers.